


Welcome to the Neighborhood

by rhosyn_du



Series: Malec Discord Advent Calendar 2020 [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, M/M, Malec Discord Server, Meet-Cute, Snow
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-04
Updated: 2020-12-04
Packaged: 2021-03-10 06:02:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 746
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27869626
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rhosyn_du/pseuds/rhosyn_du
Summary: The lock on Magnus's new apartment building hates him. The feeling is mutual.
Relationships: Magnus Bane/Alec Lightwood
Series: Malec Discord Advent Calendar 2020 [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2037052
Comments: 6
Kudos: 106
Collections: Favorite Malec Stories





	Welcome to the Neighborhood

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [Malec Discord Server](https://discord.gg/C26DBxG) Advent Calendar event. Prompt: _Snowflake_

“Oh, come on,” Magnus muttered as he punched in the code to open the front door of his new apartment building yet again with fingers rapidly going numb with cold. The snow was a thick blanket on the ground, and the clouds in the sky hung dark and heavy, threatening to burst at any moment.

The little light flashed red three times, telling him that, once again, his code hadn’t been accepted. It was the right code, Magnus knew it. It had worked yesterday when he’d come home from celebratory drinks with his friends and it had worked the day before that when he’d moved in. 

Magnus stepped back and took a deep breath, reminding himself that screaming at the stupid electronic lock would not be productive. Never mind that he’d gotten reprimanded at work earlier for a mistake someone else had made, or that his favorite silk shirt was now covered in some sticky Starbucks concoction courtesy of a stranger on the subway, or that today had just been generally awful and he really, really just wanted to scream at _something_.

But he was an adult. He was _Magnus Bane_. He did not scream at inanimate objects. Magnus lifted a hand and tried the code again.

The little light flashed red, and the sky chose that moment to open up, dropping fat, wet flakes of snow all over Magnus and his woefully insufficient cashmere coat.

Magnus sagged against the wall and squeezed his eyes shut against the tears that threatened to spill over. He didn’t scream at inanimate objects, but he did, apparently, cry on his own damn doorstep.

“Let me get that.”

Magnus’s eyes snapped open in time to see a well-muscled arm reach past him, long fingers punch in the exact same code Magnus had just tried a million times. The little light flashed green, and he heard the unmistakable click of the door unlocking.

Magnus looked up in shock, only to find himself face to face with one of the most attractive men he’d ever seen.

Instinctively, Magnus squared his shoulders and gave the man a flirtatious smile. He tried to ignore the fact that his makeup was probably streaked all to hell. “Magic fingers and a pretty face? Seems like I’m in luck tonight.”

Much to Magnus’s delight, the man returned his smile, an unmistakable spark of interest in his warm, hazel eyes.

“When it gets cold, you have to jiggle the three or it won’t register,” the man said, pushing the door open with one shoulder and holding it for Magnus.

“Good to know,” Magnus said, stepping into the blessed warmth of the lobby and pushing the button for the elevator. “I’m Magnus, by the way. I just moved in.”

“To 2B, I know,” the man said, then winced. “I mean, I saw you moving in. I’m in 2C, across the hall. Um. I’m Alec.”

Oh, thought Magnus. Adorable, too.

“A neighbor, hmm? I hope you don’t regret telling me that,” Magnus teased as he stepped into the elevator, “because now I’m going to come to you any time I need help unraveling the mysteries of this building.”

“I can think of worse fates,” Alec said, following him in and pressing the button for the second floor. “But you might be seeing a lot of me. This building’s got a lot of quirks.”

“Then I suppose I’ll have to think of some way to repay you,” Magnus said thoughtfully. “I can start by offering you a drink?”

“That sounds fun,” Alec said. “When?”

“Say, in an hour?” Magnus suggested.

The elevator creaked to a halt, opening onto the second floor.

“I’ll be there,” Alec promised. He stepped out into the hallway, and took a couple steps toward his apartment before turning around and walking back to Magnus with a determined look on his face.

“What—?” Magnus started, then froze when Alec’s hand came up to cup his face, thumb like a brand against his wind-frozen cheek.

Alec pulled his hand away, a half-melted blob of snow clinging to his thumb. Magnus was still so chilled he hadn’t even felt it.

“Your eyeliner looks so nice, I didn’t think you’d want it ruined,” Alec said with an awkward shrug.

“Thanks,” Magnus said softly.

“I’ll see you in an hour?”

Magnus nodded. He wasn’t sure what he thought of his new apartment, with its finicky lock and creaky elevator, but he was definitely looking forward to getting to know his new neighbor.


End file.
